The Jantar Mantar is the first astronomical observatory I have ever visited and also the place where I had the chance to live an interesting experience.
Built in the 18th century by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the site consists of nineteen astronomical instruments which have the role of measuring time, tracking celestial bodies and observing the orbits of the planets around the sun.
All the instruments are made of stone, marble and bronze, materials specially chosen to have a higher resistance, taking into account the fact that the site is an outdoor space. The interesting shapes of these instruments have drawn the attention of a lot of architects, artists and historians, because a few of them are still a mystery nowadays.
The Jantar Mantar is not the only astronomical observatory built in India, a country shrouded in the mysteries of astronomy. There are quite a few astronomical observatories in India and five of them are built by the same architect, Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. The Jantar Mantal is located in Jaipur, the capital and the largest city in the state of Rajasthan.
An interesting detail about this place is the fact that there is an Interpretation Center inside the site, where you can find out a lot of information about the principles and the history of astronomy. The icing on the cake is the fact that you will also have the chance to get your own astrological report, in case you want to pay a tax. I must confess that I wasn’t curious to find out what my future holds. In case you are not curious either, you should still give a chance to this place because it is very interesting.
In addition, it’s very easy to get there because it is situated in the center of the city, between the Hawa Mahal and the City Palace, two other important tourist attractions in Jaipur. If I haven’t convinced you yet to visit the Jantar Mantar, maybe the following pictures will do a better job.
